Practical Tips for Charging Your Electric Car Faster and Smarter
Not long ago, drivers debated the merits of leaded versus unleaded petrol. Today, the same kind of discussions happen around charging currents. According to Kevin Giek, head of the Taycan line at Porsche, charging an electric car is every bit as logical as refuelling — you just need to know how to do it properly.
Rule One: Start at Ten Percent
Giek’s golden rule is simple: batteries charge fastest when they’re around 10 percent full. “Lower works too, but ten is ideal,” he explains. For instance, a Porsche Taycan connected to an 800-volt fast charger can accept up to 320 kW of power. Under those conditions, charging from 10 to 80 percent takes around 18 minutes, even when the setup isn’t perfect.
With the new Performance Plus battery, the Taycan can sustain more than 300 kW for up to five minutes straight, and cold weather barely slows it down. For comparison, the first-generation Taycan needed about 37 minutes to do the same when the battery was at 15 degrees Celsius.
Rule Two: Don’t Go Beyond 80 Percent
“If I’m preparing for a long trip, I’ll charge the car to full at home using a wallbox,” says Giek. “But on the road, I usually stop at about 60 percent — beyond that, charging just becomes too slow.”
Knowing your car’s charging curve helps too. On newer models, the Taycan for example, power delivery stays above 300 kW until roughly 70 percent, and remains over 200 kW past 75 percent. After 80, charging speed drops sharply. “There’s no point wasting time,” Giek says bluntly. His advice: two short sessions are better than one long one.
Manufacturers are developing software to automate this logic. Porsche’s Charging Planner already calculates optimal stops and durations, ensuring the entire journey takes as little time as possible.
Rule Three: Pick the Right Charger
Few drivers realise that some charging stations split power between two outlets. If another car is already plugged in, your side might get only half the output — say 75 kW instead of 150 kW. The exceptions are Ionity and Porsche Charging Lounge sites, where each connector provides full power independently.
“Many people don’t know this,” Giek notes. “But it often explains why a charge seems slower than expected.” His simple advice: choose a free charger whenever possible, especially outside peak hours.
Charging as a Craft
These tips reveal that electric mobility isn’t a constraint, but a new discipline. When you combine engineering precision with user awareness, charging becomes part of the pleasure rather than the price of driving electric.
